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7 Tips to Maintain Efficiency when Pregnant

If you are choosing to work through your pregnancy, you may wonder how you can maintain efficiency
while dealing with all your physical and emotional challenges.
Following are 7 tips for maximizing your productivity as you work:

1. Work with Your Body's Schedule

If you are having morning sickness, see if you can arrange your work
schedule to accommodate your nausea. See if you can come in later in
the day. At the very least, avoid scheduling important meetings first
thing in the morning. Similarly, if you find you have little energy in
the afternoon, try to get as much accomplished while you feel good as
you can.

2. Turn Down Overtime

You simply may not have the energy to work the same long hours you
worked prior to pregnancy, and that's OK. Your body is undergoing major
changes as it creates a new life, so cut yourself some slack. Working
when tired actually decreases your productivity, so don't be afraid to
shorten your hours.

3. Rest When You Need It

Don't feel guilty about needing extra rest; after all, you are
already doing a lot. If you are able to go home during lunch, put your
feet up for awhile. Find ways to take small rest breaks, so you can
come back to work feeling refreshed and ready to get back on the job.

4. Take Regular Breaks

Eat several small meals throughout the day, pause regularly for
bathroom breaks, and enjoy small breaks when you can. These seemingly
little things will keep your energy levels up, and boost your
productivity.

5. Break Things Up

If you are feeling overwhelmed by a project at work, break it up
into manageable tasks. Focus on what you can accomplish in a specific
period of time; for example, try to get as much done in 1 hour as you
can. This gives you a yardstick for measuring your accomplishments and
allows you to get moving on a project, even if you can't finish it all.

6. Get Help

Once you have assessed what you can reasonably accomplish, delegate
tasks to coworkers or assistants. There is no shame in asking for help;
in fact, managers are often judged by how well they delegate
responsibilities to others. You don't need to be a one-woman show, so
don't try.

7. Take Advantage of Flex Time

If you are self-employed, managing your time is much easier. If you
work for an employer, see what kinds of flex time they offer. Some
businesses offer options like telecommuting; others will be willing to
cut your hours down to part-time; while others may offer job sharing.
Before you talk to your boss, ask what you can reasonably offer them in
return for flexible hours. Point out that your productivity will be
increased, and show them that the arrangement could be mutually
beneficial. Employers are more likely to work with you if they feel
they get something out of it, too.

The good news is you can easily keep working through even the last
few weeks of your third trimester, and increase your efficiency as you
do so. The trick is to work with the changes you are experiencing, not
against them.

______________________________Sarah Baker is a documentary filmmaker and writer currently living in New Bern, NC. Her first book, Lucky Stars: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, will be published December 2009. Read more about her.